Don’t use F-16s against India, US warns Pak

Islamabad: The United States has put up stiff conditions on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, stipulating that they cannot be used against India in any future conflict.

Pakistan is slated to receive 18 F-16s from the US by the end of this month.

According to sources, the stipulations were laid down following New Delhi raising strong objections over Washington’s massive military support to Islamabad, during the recent strategic dialogue between the two nations.

During the strategic deliberations, the Obama administration assured India that it was taking steps to ensure that the military assistance being offered to Pakistan was not misutilised.

US Air Force engineers would accompany the F-16s and would supervise not only the airbase but also the operations to be carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) against the Taliban and al Qaeda, The Nation reports.

The F-16s would land at Shahbaz Airbase in Jacoabad, which has been upgraded to make it conducive for operations of the advanced combat jets at a cost of over USD 500 million.